


^ 



LIBRARY OF 



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017 111348 9 ^ 



TS 910 
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Copy 1 



FULL INSTRUCTIONS 



1 



in the art of 



Crepe Paper Rope 

Basket Weaving 



■ ■ 



Home Institute of Trades 

Grand Rapids, Michigan 



Gapyrighled 1922 

Home Inslilute of Trades 

Grand Rapidi, Michigan 




Instruction ^ 



< \-: 



Basket Weaving 



LESSON ONE 

You are about to learn the very interesting Art of Basket 
Weaving using Crepe Paper Rope. After you have finished the lessons 
in this booklet, you will be able to make a variety of baskets of 
different shapes and designs, and of most attractive colors. Crepe 
Paper Rope is made in many beautiful colors, which is one of the 
reasons why it is so popular for Basket Weaving. 

You will not only be able to make baskets and trays for 
your own use and as presents for your friends and relatives but Bas- 
ket Weaving also offers you a splendid money making opportunity. 

As you are well aware, the demand for attractively woven 
baskets is becoming greater each day. This is your opportunity, and 
we want you to take the fullest advantage of it. 

For instance, the particular basket we teach you to make 
in these instructions can easily be sold at a retail price of $2.50. 
You can prove this to your own satisfaction by asking the price of 
similar baskets offered for sale in stores in any part of the Unit- 
ed States. 

The actual cost to you of the materials for making this 
particular basket amounts to less than 50 cents. This means a very 
good profit for you. This margin of profit is sufficiently large 
to enable you to employ agents to get orders for you. You can pay 
the agent a commission of 50c or even 75c on each order secured, 
and this will still leave you a handsome profit. 

Our suggestion is that you take orders yourself for the 
various baskets and trays you make, and also that you employ agents 
to secure orders for you. Then, as your business grows, you can em- 
ploy others to assist you in making baskets to fill the orders your 
agents secure for you. Erom time to time we will send you instruc- 
tions and suggestions for building up your business, and will al- 
v;ays be glad to give you the fullest co-operation. 

These instructions cover fully and in detail the making of 
a medium size basket of simple but artistic shape as shown in Il- 
lustration No. 100. The lessons show you in minute detail every 
step in the making of this basket. Simply follow the instructions 
carefully and you will have complete success. 



Illustration No. 100 



After you have completed this one basket you will find it 
very easy to make others of different shapes and designs, as sug- 
gested by us from time to time. You will also be able to originate 
many attractive designs and shapes. 

We furnish you with all the necessary equipment for com- 
pleting this one basket in accordance with our instruction. This 
outfit includes all the necessary articles and materials with the 
exception of the shellac and brush, which you can secure at your lo- 
cal hardware store at very small cost. The outfit we send you con- 
tains the following: 

2 Hanks of 1/8 inch Light Brown Crepe Paper Rope No. BRI. 

12 Wires No. 78 for Foundation. 

2 Wires No, 15 for handle. 

1 Spool Covered Wire No. 2 for holding wires together when 
starting. 

1 Fold Light Brown Crepe Paper No. 71 for winding wires to 
match rope. 

1 Tube of Glue No. 2. 

1 Tube of Paste No. 1. 

1 Combination Wire Cutter and Pointed Plier. 



After your basket is completed it is very desirable to give 
it a coat of shellac. You can purchase shellac in any hardware 
store. Merely state that you wish an extra heavy shellac for ab- 
sorbent service. The shellac should be mixed with denatured alco- 
hol, the proportion being one pound of shellac to one quart of de- 
natured alcohol. 

We suggest that you do this work over a table such as a 
kitchen table. Before starting to make the basket it is a good 
plan to read over all of the lessons carefully. You will be sur- 
prised at the ease and quickness with which you can make this first 
basket and how truly attractive your first effort will prove to be. 

LESSON TWO 

COVERING THE FOUNDATION WIRES 

You will now first proceed to cover each of your 12 founda- 
tion wires with a strip of Light Brown Crepe Paper so that your 
wires will match your paper rope. Your foundation wires are 18 
inches long and green. To obtain the strip of crepe paper simply 
take the fold of crepe paper in the folded form in which it reaches 
70U, and cut off 3/4 of an inch at the end, through the entire 
thickness as shown in Illustration No. 101. 




Illustration No. 101 

The next step is to wrap this strip of Crepe Paper around 
the wires. Each of the 12 wires is to be wrapped with Crepe Paper 
in this manner. As you need strips of paper for this purpose to 
cover all the wires, simply continue to cut the 3/4 inch wide strips 
off the end of your Crepe Paper Fold. 



Taking the first of your 12 wires you will now proceed as 
follows:— First, place the end of the wire precisely in the center 
or middle of the end of the strip of paper, having the end of the 
strip of paper extending about 1/2 inch beyond the end of the wire, 
as shown in Illustration No. 102. 




Illustration No. 102. 

Next take your tube of glu3 and apply the glue to the end 
of the strip of paper as shown in Illustration No. 102. Then pro- 
ceed to fold this glued end of the paper over the end of the wire 
and twist it securely to the end of the wire with your fingers. Now, 
holding the wire in your right hand and the strip in your left hand, 
as shown in Illustration No. 103, proceed to wrap the paper round 
the wire. Turn the wire in one direction, with your right hand 
and, turning the top edge of the strip in, guide the paper around 
the wire its full length with your left hand. The paper should be 
wrapped on the wire reasonably close and it should be held taut 
while wrapping so that it will be wrapped on tightly. Note Illus- 
tration No. 104. 





Illustration No. 103. 



Illustration No. 104. 



After you have wrapped on the paper to the other end of the 
wire, then sever the paper with the scissors about 1/2 inch beyond 
the end of the wire. Then apply glue to this end of the strip of 
paper and twist it tightly over the end of the wire. Cover each of 
the 12 wires in this manner with Crepe Paper. 

LESSON THREE 

ARRANGING THE WIRES FOR WEAVING 

You will nov/ take six of your 12 wires and lay these six 
wires on the table side by side close together with the ends abso- 
lutely even, as shown in Illustration No. 105. Proceed to find the 
exact middle of this group of wires. The middle will be nine inches 
from each end, the wires being eighteen incheslong. Run a pencil 
lightly over this middle point so that you will know exactly where 
it is. Note Illustration No. 105. 




Illustration No. lOo. 

Now take the other six wires and, finding the exact middle 
point of these six wires, you lay them exactly crosswise over the 
first six wires so that the two groups will touch at this exact 
middle point. Notice Illustration No. 106. 




Illustration No. 106. 



Next proceed to fasten the two groups of wires together, 
using the spool wire for that purpose. Simply wind this spool wire 
around and about and over and under the wires a number of times as 
shown in Illustration No. 107. When these two groups of six wires 
each are properly fastened together at the middle by the spool wire 
they should appear as shown in Illustration No. 108. Please re- 
member that your wires should all be perfectly flat, closely side by 
side, on the table. Your wires are now in four groups from the 
center, six wires being in each groap. 




Illustration No. 107 



Illustration No. 108 



The next step is to arrange your v/ires in groups of two from 
the center. Illustration No. 109 shows the arrangement of the wires 
in groups of two partially completed. Illustration No. 110 shows 
the entirely completed arrangement of these wires into groups of two. 
Your wires should be arranged all around with these groups of two 
equal distance apart. You now have 12 groups of two wires each. 




Illustration No. 109 



Illustration No. 110 



LESSON FOUR 



STARTING THE WEAVING 

You will now take one, just one, of these groups of two, and 
separate the two wires, as shown in Illustration No. 111. You will 
start your weaving by placing the end of the rope between these 
two wires that you have just separated. Note Illustrations No. Ill 
and 112, either one of which well illustrates this simple operation. 
Have the short end of the rope sticking up about an inch or a little 
more above the wire. Now proceed to weave over two wires and under 
the next two wires, then over two, and then under two, around to 
the starting point. When you approach the starting point the rope 
must go under the first of the single wires and then over the next 
single wire. Then, this time around you go under the first two 
wires, over the next two and so on around to the single wires again. 




Illustration No. Ill 



Illustration No. 112 



You will notice that these single wires change the order of 
the stitch and thus produce the weave, by the simple process of 
first going over and then under the groups of two wires and then 
under and over. 



Continue the weaving until you have encircled the wires six 
times, or in other words until you have made six rows entirely around 
the base you are forming. 



You will now proceed to separate all the groups of two wires 
each into single wires, making twenty-four single wires out from the 
center, all as nearly equal distance apart as possible. Illustra- 
tion No. 113 shows four cf the groups separated into eight single 
wires and also shows the six rows yju have woven. Separate all your 
groups of two into single wires as explained above and as shown com- 
pleted in Illustration No. 114. Now proceed to continue weaving 
going under one wire and then over one and then under and then over 
entirely around once. 




Illustration No. 113 



Illustration No. 114 



When your starting point is reached after weaving around the 
single wires once, you will notice that if the weaving is continued 
the rope strand would now lie one above the other. Hence, when this 
occurs, the wire directly at the left of the one where the rope 
would cross twice, should be bent up and cut out. Bend this wire up 
right at the rope as shown in Illustration No. 115, and with your 
wire cutters, cut this wire off within about one quarter inch of the 
rope and then bend the stub end out of the way. 




Illustration No. 115 
9 



You will now have twenty-three wires instead of twenty four. 
This gives you the necessary uneven number of wires which are used 
in all regular weaving. This uneven number now makes it possible 
for you to always cross your wires on the opposite side each time 
around. Proceed with your weaving around the wires over and under 
until the base is the desired size-"four inches — the size shown in 
Illustration No. 116. Next cut out and pull out all of the winding 
spool wire in the center. Pick it all out with the pliers. Then 
glue the short rope end neatly into the v;eaving as shown in Illus- 
tration No. 116, so that your base will be smooth all over. 




Illustration No. 116 

LESSON FIVE 
WEAVING THE SIDES 

The next step is to bend the wires up sharp for the basket 
sides. See Illustration No. 117. This Illustration shows six of 
the wires bent up sharply. Proceed to bend all twenty-three of 
them up straight in this manner, as- shown in Illustration No. 118. 




Illustration No. 117 
10 



Now again continue weaving, first inside one wire and then 
outside the next wire and so on all around. Note Illustration No. 
118. Continue this weaving in this manner until the sides of your 
basket are six inches high. When six inches high it is ready to 
finish off around the edge. 




Illustraton No. 118 

While weaving keep the wires straight up and down so that the 
diameter is the same throughout. When you need more rope and start 
using your second hank, glue the ends of both pieces of rope neatly 
on the inside of your basket. We also wish to caution you not to 
push your weaving too closely together or the effect of the weave 
will be spoiled and more rope used. Also do not pull the rope too 
much while weaving as this will draw the wires out of shape. 

Having woven the sides of the basket until it is six inches 
high you are now ready to finish off the edge. 

LESSON SIX 

MAKING THE, BASKET EDGE 

Now, take the rope strand that you are weaving with, and 
measure it once around and an additional one third around the top of 
the basket and cut it off. In other words cut your weaver off about 
twenty-two inches from the point at which you stopped weaving. Now 
from the rope which you have left from your second hank measure off 
three more strands of the same length, or about twenty-two inches. 
In other words from your remaining rope cut yourself off three more 
twenty-two inch strands. 



n 




Illustration No. 119 

Now take one of your three loose strands and applying glue 
to the end of it, glue it in the space with the weaver strand al- 
ready in use, as shown in Illustration No. 119. 

Now take the remaining two loose strands and applying glue 
to the ends, glue them in the next space to the right, as shown in 
Illustration No. 120. In other words you glue these last two loose 
strands in between the two wires to the right of the other two 
strands. You now have four weavers in all. 




Illustration No. 120 
12 



Now clip the wire at the right of the two rear weavers, 
leaving about one inch standing above the weaving line. Now bend 
this wire over the rear weavers flat and tight within the basket and 
slightly in the direction of the weaving. Note Illustration No. 121. 




Illustration No. 121 

Now clip the next v/ire to the left the same length and bend 
it down over the forward weavers. Note Illustration No. 122 showing 
bending the wire over the two forward weavers. 




Illustration No. 122 
13 



You can now proceed to cut off the ends of a few more of the 
wires around the top of the basket. Cut them off the same length as 
the wires referred to in Illustrations No. 121 and 122. If you 
like you can cut all the wires around the entire top of the basket 
at one time or you can cut them off as you proceed with the weaving. 
Illustration No. 123 shows the beginning of the cutting of the rest 
of the wires after the four weavers have been fastened into place. 




Illustration No. 123 



LESSON SEVEN 



WEAVING THE EDGE 

You proceed now with the weaving, starting with the two rear 
weavers. Pass them over the second bent wire, covering it com- 
pletely, and then pass them back of the next standing wire, as shown 
in Illustration No. 124. Now bend this wire inside the basket and 
•over the weavers, as before. This bent wire holds those two weavers 
in position. 



14 




Illustration No. 124 

Now take the other two weavers, pass them over this last 
bent wire, covering it, and then pass these two weavers back of the 
next standing wire. Bend this wire within the basket over the 
weavers. You proceed entirely around the top of the basket in this 
manner, first passing one pair of weavers back of a standing wire, 
bending the wire down, and then passing the other pair of weavers 
back of the next standing wire and so on around, alternating. 

Now then, all of the bent wires will be covered with the 
rope except the last one and also the one which was first cut and 
bent. Now lift up the first wire which was cut, pass the weavers 
over the last bent wire and behind this lifted wire, as shown in 
Illustration No. 125, and rebend the wire. Now cut these two weavers 
off close. 




Illustration No. 125 
15 



Now cover this final rebent wire with the two weavers which 
are left, as shown in Illustration No. 126. Proceed now to cut these 
two weavers off and glue the ends into the inside edge. This con- 
ceals the ends in the weaving. 




Illustration No. 126 



LESSON EIGHT 

MAKING THE HANDLE 

After you have made the handle of the basket and put it on, 
the basket will be entirely finished with the exception of applying 
the shellac. You use two heavy wires, No. 15, for the basket handle. 
First wrap each of these two wires SEVERAL TIMES with a strip of 
Crepe Paper 1 1/2 inches wide. You wrap these wires by the same 
method used in wrapping the Foundation Wires for your basket. Hav- 
ing wrapped each wire several times with the crepe paper strip of 
1 1/2 inch width, you then wrap each wire with one strip of paper 
3/4 inch wide to give a smooth finish. 



16 




Illustration No. 127 



Now bend the two wires together into the shape shown in 
Illustration No. 127. Then attach them to the Basket with spool wire 
as shown in Illustration No. 127. You will notice in this Illustra- 
tion that one end of the handle is fastened to one side of the 
basket. This Illustration is sufficiently clear to show you at just 
what location you fasten the handle ends to the sides of the basket 
with spool wire. You will observe that the handle is fastened in 
two places on each side, one near the top of the basket and one near 
the bottom of the basket. Before fastening the handle to the basket 
with spool wire, see to it that your spool wire has first been wound 
with a very narrow strip of crepe paper, so that your spool wire will 
match your basket. 

You will also observe that your two handle wires are held 
together and at the same time attractively trimmed by winding paper 
rope around them a short space on each side and also on the top, as 
shown in Illustration No. 100. This Illustration, which is the first 
one shown in this booklet, shows your completed basket. You can now 
apply the shellac over the entire basket, one or more coats, as 
desired. 



17 



LESSON NINE 



MAKING BASE FOR SQUARE BASKETS 

As previously instructed wrap the twelve foundation wires 
with a strip of crepe paper 3/4 inch wide. Then lay one group of 
wires across the other group, crossing them in the center, and 
fasten them together with spool wire, as you have been previously 
instructed. Note Illustration No. 128. 





Illustration No. 128 



Illustration No. 129 



Separate all the wires into groups of two. Then divide one 
of these groups of two into single wires and start weaving at that 
point. Keep these two wires single throughout every row, always 
weaving to the right. Note Illustration No. 129. 

Weave over two wires and under two wires for six rows, or as 
many rows as there are wires each way, cutting out one of the double 
spokes or wires. Now continue weaving on single spokes or wires 
until the base is the desired size. Your previous instructions have 
explained about separating the wires into single wires and weaving 
on the single wires. 



18 




Illustration No. 130 

When two rows have been woven on the single wires, out a 
piece of cardboard the size of the desired base. Then place the 
woven base on the cardboard and determine which wires are the corner 
wires. Now proceed to weave over one wire and under another, and at 
the corner you loop the rope around the wire to build out the 
corners. Notice Illustration No. 130. 

However, after you have bent the wires up all around the 
basket and have started to weave the sides of the basket, be sure to 
remember that the SIDES of the square baskets are woven without 
looping on the corner wires. 

LESSON TEN 

MAKING BASE FOR OVAL BASKETS 

First wrap eight wires with a strip of Crepe Paper 3/4 inch 
wide to match the rope used. Lay these wires flat and weave them 
together with spool wire. Make the section thus fastened about half 
the length of the desired base. Note Illustration No. 131. 



Oval Base 




Illustration No. 131 
19 



Now attach the cross wires. Attach these cross wires to the 
tack bone with one-sixteenth inch rope. Fasten three wires together 
at each end of the back bone and then set in single wires about 
1/2 inch apart. By backbone we mean that section of your first 
eight wires which is fastened with the spool wire, as shown in 
Illustration No. 131. 




Illustration No. 132 

Illustrations Nos. 132 and 133 show the fastening and ar- 
rangement of the cross wires. Spread the wires out into a semi- 
circle at each end, dividing them into groups of two wires each, 
as shown in Illustration No. 134. 








Illustration No. 133 



Illustration No. 134 



You now separate one of the groups of two wires into single 
spokes and begin weaving between these two. Illustration No. 134 
shows the two wires thus separated and the rope inserted between 
them ready to begin the weaving. 



20 



''^^-.-::^-.r:^5i-st-! 



Keep these two wires single throughout each row and always 
weave to the right. Weave over two and under two at the ends and 
over one and under one on the sides, weaving eight rows all to 
gether. 

Then proceed to cut out one wire on the left of the two 
single spokes, separating all the rest of the wires into single 
spokes. Then weave over one and under one until the base is the 
desired size. 

BASE FOR OBLONG BASKET 

In making the base for an oblong basket you proceed m ex- 
actly the same manner as in the case of the oval basket unitl you 
have woven two rows on single spokes. Vlhen you have woven two rows 
on the single spokes, cut a piece of cardboard the size of the de- 
sired base, as in the case of the square basket. Place the woven 
base on the cardboard and determine the corner wires. Weave over 
one and under one, and at each corner loop the rope around the wire 
to build out the corners. The sides of an oblong basket are woven 
without looping on corner wires. 

A FINAL WORD 

You have now learned the making of a round basket in complete 
detail. It may have seemed to you at times that we laid too much 
stress upon the small points and explained in almost too much detail 
very simple movements, but, it is our desire to make absolutely cer- 
tain that you learn correctly the making of this first round basket. 

Do not be discouraged if your first effort is not absolutely 

perfect in shape. It is only natural that the work should require 
some practice. 

You have also been instructed in the making of the base for 
a square basket; also the base for oval and oblong baskets. The 
making of the square, oval and oblong baskets is only slightly dif- 
ferent from the making of round baskets, as you have already 
observed. 

Be sure to have confidence in yourself and your ability to 
make these baskets. That is all you will need from now on together 
with our suggestions. You can originate different shapes and de- 
signs and we are in a position to furnish you, at very low cost, 
crepe paper rope and crepe paper of many different and beautiful 
colors. Furthermore, you can paint and decorate your finished 
baskets in many beautiful ways. Baskets, decorated with Ven-Yan are 
also attractive. 

From time to time we shall mail you separate small sheets 
simply illustrating different styles of baskets you can make and the 
amount of material necessary. 

21 



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